Page 64 of Revenge of the Forgotten

He turned his head for her to see directly into one of his eyes—they remained the same shade of green as in his human form. Vega filled her lungs with air, propping the bottle of wine against the dismantled wall, and took a few steps closer to Khort—to a fucking dragon.

“Holy shit.” She breathed, reaching her hand out to run across his scales. They didn’t feel snake-like as Vega imagined. They were rough, pointed, and sharp in areas if she pushed with too much pressure. He huffed, smoke puffing through his nostrils. “Can you hear me in there?” she asked. He nodded his large head up, then down smoothly. Khort’s legs were folded underneath him, keeping himself low to the ground, but Vega didn’t even reach his shoulder.

The fairy tales she’d grown up reading and watching spoke of a dragon’s size, but never had she imagined she’d stand next to one. She began to walk around him, his head moving in a serpentine motion as he followed her movements.

Khort stood with his claws digging into the ground beneath him. He stretched his wings from behind his back and took off into the sky. The wind off of his wings sent Vega’s hair flying behind her, and she gasped, watching him soar. The way his large figure moved so effortlessly took her breath away. She could see his inhale just before fire poured from his mouth and lit up the night. Vega couldn’t take her eyes off him catching wind and disappearing behind clouds.

It could have been minutes or hours. Vega lost track of time as she stared up at Khort with eyes widened in wonder. She didn’t move until his back legs touched the hard ground first and his wings tucked into his back. The beast stalked up to Vega, nose to nose with her again.

She reached her hand out, and as her palm landed on Khort’s scales, he shifted back before her eyes. The wings seemed to retract into his back as the rest of his body shifted like a breath of air. The only bit of dragon left was the smoke exiting his nostrils as they shaped back into his button nose, and Khort returned to the man he was before.

Her hand rested on his cheek, a gleam of awe still fluttering behind her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered, worried she might ruin the moment by speaking too loudly.

Khort smiled, reaching up to place his hand over hers. “You’ll come to find that I would do just about anything for you,” he said, his voice matching her volume. He pulled her hand to his lips, nuzzling a kiss into her palm—his lips were still warm from his fire. Khort turned her hand around, placing his lips over the brand they shared. He lingered there before letting her go. Their eyes stayed trapped on each other. “Let’s get you to bed.” Khort went to move, but Vega grabbed his bicep as he tried to walk by.

“Can we stay out here a little longer? Please. I’m not ready to go back under,” Vega admitted. The people of Castra might be used to the claustrophobic feel of their home, but Vega wasn’t. The night air filled her lungs like a drug, begging her to stay with it.

“Sure.” Khort turned towards her. “But we can’t stay long. You’re the most wanted woman in all of Tolevarre.”

Vega grabbed the bottle of wine and handed it to Khort, who was walking back to her after grabbing his shirt. And she was pleasantly surprised with the fact Khort’s pants were, in fact, shifting material, and had stayed in place.

“When did you shift for the first time?” Vega asked, distracting herself from the thoughts of his naked body. It’s the wine.

“I was thirteen,” Khort told her, taking a hefty sip of the wine.

Vega sat down in the lush grass, leaning back on her arms to look up at the stars as Khort sat down beside her. She was buzzing from the wine and adrenaline.

“You were there,” Khort said, his smile reminiscent of the memory.

Vega glanced over at him, taking in the way the moonlight seemed to glow off of his light hair. He tipped the bottle of wine to his lips and finished it off, then tossed it to the side for them to retrieve later. She waited for him to continue.

“My sister had been shifting for a year. She was seven years younger than me, and I was so scared that her getting the dragon gene meant I wouldn’t.”

Was.

Everyone had lost someone they loved.

“I was so mad she beat me to it, that a six-year-old, which is so young to shift for the first time, by the way, was learning to perfect her ability while I sat around hoping to fly one day too.” His gaze was straightforward as he continued to recall the memory. “Dad was a phoenix shifter. Mom came from the dragons. There wasn’t a lot of either left, and it wasn’t guaranteed that I would get either of their forms. It happens sometimes—a kid won’t get their parents’ powers. I wasn’t showing any signs, and Mom and Dad were starting to whisper that maybe I wouldn’t be the powerful one. That maybe Delori would take my parents’ seat instead.”

As he spoke, Vega could see the anger he tried to hide.

“And whatever, it wasn’t the power I was after. I think I just wanted to be the strong older brother, ya know? To be able to protect Delori from the ugly in our world. Being weak back then, hell, even now, isn’t something that plays out well.” Khort glanced at Vega before continuing. She reached out and laid her hand over his to urge him on. “You and I were playing in the woods behind my home. It happened so quickly. I complained of a burning sensation in my gut, which was brushed off as indigestion.” He snickered. “I almost burned the woods down in my backyard when I shifted. It’s not a pleasant feeling the first time you shift, so as soon as it began, I screamed… and what came out of my mouth? Fire.” He shook his head, meeting her eyes. “You clapped the entire time, only excited that I finally came into my form. You didn’t shut up about it for weeks.”

Vega laughed. “Baby Vega, your biggest fan.”

They sat outside for longer than they should have, enjoying the night air and each other’s company. The silence wasn’t awkward—Vega welcomed the feel of the leaves rustling in the distance and the sound of the water crashing against the cliffs.

The back of Vega’s head rested in her linked hands, face turned towards the moon, eyes closed like she was soaking in the beams.

“Vega?”

“Hmm?” she hummed, opening her eyes and turning her head to face Khort, whose eyes met with hers.

“I want you to know, even before you get your memories back, that I love you. I don’t think that’s ever been much of a secret.” He wet his lips, and Vega’s eyes focused on the movement. “You’re my best friend and the girl that got away, yes, but that doesn’t change anything for me. I will fight with you, for you… always.”

The words didn’t startle her, only made her sad she couldn’t return those sentiments—at least not right now. “Have you tried fighting for yourself yet?” Her question came out before her brain could process it, catching her by surprise.

“Fighting for you is fighting for me. You’re the key to the end of this,” Khort said.

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